Activities

Playfulness and learning in young children

This project focuses on inservice training and cooperative learning of professionals and researchers in early childhood education. Key concepts are play engagement in young childen, availability of the pedagogue, play environment and peer relationships. Results of this project are published in Singer, Nederend, Penninx & Boom (2014) Teachers role play engagement

Chronicling the development of early childhood education and care since the 1970s – pedagogies and practices: An oral history project

This project draws on the oral histories of individuals, like you, who have been leading advocates of ECEC, in order to reflect back over the development of early childhood education and care (ECEC) pedagogies and practices since the 1970s across several national contexts. The aim of the study is to capture perspectives on the development of early childhood pedagogy from the 1970s and analyse these within the relevant social, political and academic developments of the time.

Phase One is the collection of oral histories from 9-14 ECEC advocates, from up to nine countries, who are recognised as leading advocates for ECEC from the 1970s and who continue to play an active role in such advocacy. The results of these analyses will be published in scholarly journals and/or a book.

Phase Two is the development of an open-access, web-based, archive of oral histories related to the development of ECEC.

This cooperative project of the University of Amsterdam and Stichting Alexander is focused on giving a voice to all participants in foster care. Especially during the process of settling in the new foster family and processes of grieve and loss in the birth family. In another study the focus was on coping with conflicts between parents and children compared with foster parents and foster children.

Keynotes and action research on quality child care.

Presentations and action research are done in cooperations with schools and organisations for early childhood education and care. These activities are related to the inservice training of professials and the continuous process of working on pedagogical quality. At international conferences keynotes are given on young children’s learning, playing and social life. Play Playfulness 2013, Friendship and familiarity 2013, Social life of young children.